As summer really starts to set in more and more people are going to be taking to the outdoors to cook their favorite meals – but there are going to be plenty of people screaming from the top of their lungs that eating grilled food is the equivalent of smoking and entire carton of cigarettes!

You’ve likely heard it in the past that grilled foods are incredibly carcinogenic, and while you may not have believed it at the time, the odds are also pretty good that you had this point hammered into your head so frequently that now you’re not quite so sure.

If you would love to know whether or not it is still safe to enjoy delicious grilled food that you prepare yourself in the back garden without having to risk cancer, check out all of the inside information we have for you below.

There are some (incredibly tenuous) links between eating grilled food and increased risks of prostate and pancreatic cancer

Look, we will be honest with you – there are some research reports (that many in the food and medical world find a little difficult to fully get behind) that state that foods prepared over an open flame are higher in HCA and PAH chemicals, to chemical compounds known to have links to cancer in small and animal focused studies.

At the same time, the instances of these chemicals in food really aren’t at levels that could ever be affectively deemed risky – even if you were to eat grilled food every single day of your life for every single meal.

If you are a little bit nervous about the carcinogenic properties that grilled food may have, there are a couple of different things you can do to “limit your exposure”.

Turn down the heat

Most experts with a grill are going to understand the value of “dual zone heating” anyway, but those that are new to the grill are going to want to learn how to create indirect and direct heating elements on their grill.

You’ll almost always wanted to do the bulk of your cooking on the indirect side (to avoid flareups and to avoid overcooking your food), though you’ll often times want to switch to direct heat side to add that grilled flavor and crossed to the food.

To avoid carcinogens, always cook on the indirect heat signed of your dual heating zone grill before finishing off on the direct heat. You’ll be able to cut down carcinogen compounds to almost nonexistent levels.